This quick and easy ground Pork Stir Fry with Asparagus recipe is loaded with spectacular flavor, only requiring a handful of ingredients, and on the table in 25 minutes!
Goodness, do I love a stir fry dish. I’ve often said that if push came to shove and I HAD to choose between Asian or Italian, I would pick Asian cuisine.
If you dine at Chinese restaurants, you might recognize this Pork Stir Fry recipe as something similar to Szechuan Pork and Green Beans, which is a super popular menu item. Green beans are charred and cooked in a spicy sauce, then mixed with pork and an incredibly flavorful Asian sauce.
Authentic Szechuan Pork, however, calls for ingredients that most American home cooks don’t have on hand and might have trouble finding at their local market. This Pork Stir Fry is a riff on that classic recipe with more common pantry items, but definitely does not skimp on taste!
Ground Pork Stir Fry
This recipe is very straightforward and quite simple, but there are a few things worth noting.
- Use either green beans or asparagus: Using green beans or asparagus is a toss up for me, since I am madly in love with both. I chose asparagus this time around and that’s obviously what is photographed, but if you prefer green beans, go for it!
- Shaoxing rice wine is ideal: Shaoxing wine is ideal for the pork marinade, if you can get your hands on some, but dry sherry is a great substitute.
- Char those veggies: Whatever you do, don’t forego charring those asparagus pieces first – it’s definitely a key feature to this dish and adds another huge layer of flavor!
- Spice level: The sauce for this is spicy, with a hint of sweetness. There’s definite heat to this dish, but your face will not be on fire, I promise!
- Pork Stir Fry Sauce: Most of my stir fry recipes have a substantial amount of sauce, but this one actually has a very small amount. The ground pork absorbs it all, but you won’t miss it. Really.
- Serve with cooked white rice: This recipe is fairly salty, so I highly recommend serving it with cooked white rice (like a lot of Asian stir fry), which lends balance, otherwise the saltiness will really stand out.
Pork Stir Fry Recipe Variations
My recipe is written trying to stay as true to the pork stir fry flavors you order at Chinese restaurants, but there are additional variations.
- Swap out the asparagus for green beans.
- Dry sherry can be used instead of the Shaoxing rice wine.
- Sriracha sauce can replace the chili garlic sauce, but cut the amount in half, taste, and adjust from there.
- This stir fry is salty, mainly from the soy sauce and oyster sauce, which are both integral ingredients here. Make sure you are using low-sodium soy sauce, however if you are still trying to cut back, you can replace half the amount with water.
We love this Pork Stir Fry so much. It’s quick and easy, packed with intense wonderful flavors. Leftovers the next day heat up quite well, too…not that we ever have any extra!
Other fantastic Stir Fry Recipes to try!
Here are some other quick and easy stir fry recipes that are in constant rotation at my house. Definite family favorites!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
{Szechuan-Style} Easy Pork Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 1/4 pounds ground pork
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil , divided
- 1 bunch thin asparagus spears , woody ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/3 cup oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 3 scallions , diced
- cooked white rice , for serving
Instructions
- Whisk 2 tablespoons soy sauce, rice wine (or dry sherry), and cornstarch in medium bowl until corn starch is completely dissolved. Add pork and mix lightly to blend.
- Warm 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, ginger, and chili sauce. Toss until asparagus is crisp-tender and charred, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer asparagus mixture to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon sesame oil to skillet. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until browned, using a wooden spoon to break up pork into small pieces, about 4 minutes.
- Return asparagus mixture to skillet, along with the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey.
- Stir-fry until pork is cooked through, about 2 minutes more minutes.
- Add scallions; toss to incorporate.
- Serve over Jasmine rice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Other Notes
Very good, easy
is sesame oil toasted or not?
This was delicious. I used pork tenderloin and leftover veggies from the fridge. Used this recipe to clean out the fridge. Onion, celery, grn pepper, scallions, mushrooms. Topped with cilantro. Really good. looking forward to the leftovers.
So simple and yet heaps of flavour – really delicious recipe.
Sooo tasty..that’s all I can say except I want to eat more and more!!!
Easy and delicious!
WOW! Delicious! I wasn’t expecting this to be so flavorful. It came together so quickly. I used meal delivery kits during the pandemic to spice things up, but needed a break from the flavor profiles so am back to meal planning for myself. This will definitely be on regular rotation!
I made this with snow peas. mushrooms and shrimp in addition to the pork. So delicious!
This recipe was so good! So flavourful ~ a touch of heat & a touch of sweet :)
I used 3 lbs of gr pork & doubled all the other ingredients. It turned out perfectly .
I will try green beans next time as I think they will hold out better for leftovers
Loved it, I didnt have oyster sauce, but still came out delicious.
I’ve made this recipe several times now, and it’s always a hit with my family! I substitute celery for asparagus, and have used hoisin sauce instead of oyster sauce when I ran out (also added more soy sauce and less than recommended amount of hoisin sauce to maintain a more savory taste). I’m going to try adding diced firm tofu to bulk up the dish tonight. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Made a few times. Last night I used zucchini instead of the asparagus.
This has great flavor – just a hint of sweetness, but a kick to it too. And really easy to make. My family loved it.
This was delicious!
great recipe. I substituted some things, but direction is very good.
Great recipe. I used green beans.
I made this dish last week for my family and we all loved it! I didn’t have enough asparagus so I added some fresh green beans that I had on hand. I also used a little fish sauce rather than oyster sauce because, again, it’s what I had on hand. I just told my family that I’m making this for dinner again tonight and all of them were very happy to hear it. I’m going to have a full table tonight! Thank you for sharing this wonderful dish!
Hi Kiki – I’m so happy to hear this was a hit for you and that your adaptations worked out! That’s the fun thing about cooking sometimes!
I am TOTALLY making this. I have asparagus coming out of my ears and I was looking for something new. Thanks AMY!!!!
Yay! Report back…I can’t get enough of it right now. Shall be picking more up at the Farmer’s Market tonight. I’ve been marinating it in balsamic and olive oil and then throwing it on the grill for a few minutes. Yum-o.
This looks so delicious and I love that the recipe is so simple! What a wonderful, fun weeknight dish. Thanks for sharing!
Don’t you just hate being in funks like that? I find that sometimes, I’m just burnt out on everything — including cooking. I hate it.
But, I also find that sometimes it only takes one good home cooked meal to get you right back in the groove. This pork looks deeeelish. Hope you’re out of your funk!
I’ll have to remember dishes like this one next time I have a hankering for Asian fare. I still don’t have my “Asian cooking chops” which means I can’t ad-lib quite as well with Asian cuisine as I can with others… so guidelines are always helpful!
I *will* be making this very soon. It looks so easy and so yummy! I’ve been stuck on pastas and beef this week.
There was a recipe like this in the last bon appetit and I keep eying it, even with this meat hiatus I’m on. The flavors in it just sound SO GOOD.
I go through phases with tv. Or it’s more like, once I start I can’t stop. So I’ve had to cut out Grey’s during boards studying otherwise I’d spend all day watching it. As soon as Monday is over though…I am going to overdose on McDreamy and I am going to love it. (And yes. I was talking to you. In my post. No pressure, though, I know you must be crazy busy!)
I haven’t seen Grey’s Anatomy, but that’s the next series on my list to watch while on the treadmill. I totally want to see you! Trying to figure it out…
Yum….stir-fry with my favorite veggie! Melissa you done good girl! You have been coming up with some amazing stuff lately!
Amy – thanks for re-posting and just in case you didn’t know….clean is highly overrated!
It SO is. Dirt is good for us, right? Between you, Melissa, and Rebecca, I’m always well fed.
Lisa ?
yes?
Lisa, I think Melissa was trying to make a heart emoticon, but my silly program doesn’t convert it.
Glad you liked this. Remember Sunday when I drove all day and then worked OT? I thought there was no way I could make dinner after that, but I did because it was round two of this recipe. So easy to put together, and so, so satisfying. I love “bowl and spoon” meals more than anything. Give me Asian or Indian food over rice and plop me on the couch and all my troubles go away…
I’ll stop rambling. Seriously, glad you liked it!!
Ramble away! So easy, right? It’s my new go-to recipe when I lack time/energy…hm. When asparagus isn’t in season anymore, I’m thinking green beans would be a good substitute.
They would. It would be just like my gai pad grapow, but with chinese flavors instead of Thai. :)
Exactly :D